Chapter 86

William’s words just now were meant to give his son a bit of a warning, to prevent him from acting rashly in his youthful exuberance. Seeing Qing Ying’s firm and sincere response, William’s expression eased, and a smile returned to his face. He patted Qing Ying’s head and said, "You should really thank Alfred. If it weren’t for his urging you to build the ship, you wouldn’t have the income to support Nikky’s little cousin. By the way, Alfred will soon be heading to the Far East and won’t be coming to see you for a few days. You should find some time to visit him."

Nani? Tirpitz is going to the Far East?

Hearing this news, Qing Ying was greatly shocked, and many thoughts flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t figure out the reason behind it.

In another dimension, Tirpitz indeed came to Asia in 1896, serving as the commander of the German cruiser squadron in the region. At that time, the German Navy had not yet implemented the Naval Law, and as the naval chief of staff, he was relatively idle; it was understandable for William to send him overseas for some experience. However, in this dimension, the Naval Law had already been implemented from top to bottom, and as the chief compiler of the new Naval Law, he should have been swamped with work. Why would he suddenly go to the Far East, thousands of miles away? He thought for a long time but still couldn’t understand what Tirpitz was up to, so he couldn’t help but ask, "But Father, the Naval Law has just been implemented. As the planner of this law, Tirpitz should have a lot of work to do. Why is he abandoning these tasks to suddenly go to the Far East?"

William took a sip of water to moisten his throat and then briefly explained the reason for Tirpitz’s trip to the Far East to Qing Ying.

In January 1896, the first Naval Law of the German Navy was officially promulgated and implemented. Under the government’s deliberate guidance, the public believed that this was a solid step for Germany to become a world power, and they celebrated it. However, Tirpitz, who knew the inside story, was not as elated as the ordinary citizens. Due to the expansion of the Kiel Canal, Chancellor Hohenlohe had to divert 35 million marks from the naval budget each year. This huge loss directly led to a severe shortage of the number of ships stipulated by the Naval Law. Although the 7 battlecruisers specified in the Naval Law were capable of joining the battle line as main forces, their 4 main guns and 3.5-meter-high main armor were inferior to the 6 main guns and 5.5-meter-high main armor of regular battleships in terms of firepower and protection. Therefore, since the implementation of the Naval Law, Tirpitz had been like a discontented woman, always looking for ways to gain more for the German Navy.

During this period, Emperor William’s mindset also quietly changed. The land under the sun and the trident in the hands of the sea god were always what this ambitious emperor yearned for. As the country’s strength grew, William was no longer satisfied with just Europe and began to look towards the vast oceans overseas. At this time, Africa had already been divided among European colonizers, and Germany’s Middle East strategy was proceeding in an orderly manner. William, spinning the globe, naturally focused on the Far East, a region with great potential.

For a year, watching the huge indemnity of 16 million pounds being continuously sent to Japan, William felt both envy and jealousy. Even a country like Japan, with a steel production of only one two-thousandth of Germany’s, could gain such enormous benefits through external expansion. Why couldn’t Germany take this path? Envious of Japan’s gains, William quickly decided on an expansion strategy in the Far East, preparing to find a territory or port on the other side of the world as a base for advancing into East Asia. When he shared this idea with Tirpitz, the two, who were dissatisfied with the status quo, immediately hit it off. With the emperor and the naval chief of staff’s strong advocacy, the German high command quickly approved the expansion policy in the Far East. Domestic merchants and capitalists also looked forward to opening more markets for their goods there. Tirpitz volunteered to personally go to the Far East to find the best coastal port for the German Navy, and William, wanting to train his trusted aide, agreed to his request. At this point, Tirpitz was no longer the naval chief of staff but the commander of the German East Asia Squadron.

"You haven’t seen the entire text of the Naval Law, so you naturally think Alfred is too busy to leave. In fact, the most challenging part of the Naval Law is the initial planning, including shipyard construction, financial management, equipment procurement, and personnel allocation. After that, it’s just a matter of following the pre-set plan. Alfred has already provided extremely detailed explanations in the Naval Law, and even if he leaves, its implementation won’t be affected," William sat back in his armchair, his words carrying a hint of encouragement. "While you have an understanding and insight into the navy that few can match, when it comes to specific planning and management, you are far behind Alfred."

Qing Ying nodded and laughed dryly, having no doubt about Tirpitz’s abilities. Historically, Tirpitz transformed a coastal defense force into the world’s second-largest fleet, surpassing the navies of the United States, France, Italy, and Russia, second only to the Royal Navy. As the fleet expanded, the German Navy’s internal structure remained flawless, with all necessary maintenance and repair facilities, commendable naval concepts, and even superior combat skills among the High Seas Fleet’s officers and men compared to the Royal Navy! He completed the century-long naval project in just 15 years, a feat that, while not surpassing, was on par with the great Admiral Fisher of the Royal Navy.

"Currently, we, the German Empire, do not have a territory of our own in the Far East. All merchant ships, cruise ships, and warships traveling to the Far East must dock and resupply in foreign ports, which is a very passive situation for us. To further involve ourselves in Far Eastern affairs and gain benefits for the German Empire, we need a forward base to store military equipment, dock warships, and expand our military presence in the Far East. Only with a strong backing can the German Empire have a say in this region!" William waved his fist and said loudly.

"Currently, our German East Asia Squadron is still based in Hong Kong, a British territory, which is not befitting our status as the third-largest industrial power in the world." William’s deep voice echoed in the room, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction with the current situation and a yearning for the future. "Alfred’s mission is to find a port in the Far East for the German Empire to serve as our forward base. Once we have a base in the Far East, it means we have the capital to advance into the region! Even a minor country like Japan can gain such rich rewards through a localized war. Why can’t the German Empire do the same?"

After listening to William II’s explanation, Qing Ying’s brows gradually furrowed, but his doubts remained. It was already March 1896, and the old colonial powers had already divided the cake. Where in the Far East could there still be an unclaimed, high-quality port for Germany to occupy?

—

Since the second half of the 19th century, numerous islands in the Pacific and the countries on the Pacific coast of Asia had almost all been colonized by the great powers. Although Germany’s industrial strength was unparalleled in Europe, its late unification meant it missed the golden age of exploration and colonization. By the time it became powerful and began to look outward, it found that almost all overseas colonies had been divided among the old colonial powers like Britain and France, leaving only some poor and uncivilized territories.

Faced with this situation, even the empire’s helmsman, Chancellor Bismarck, had no immediate solution. The rising German Empire had already changed the European balance of power that had lasted for a century, and many countries viewed it as a thorn in their side, eager to eliminate it. The international political landscape was complex, and even the world’s largest power, the British Empire, refrained from touching the Dutch and Spanish colonies in the Pacific due to various considerations. In this context, Germany, as a new member of the great powers, had to abide by the established rules. For 20 years, Germany had only managed to secure a few colonies in the underdeveloped regions of Africa, which were not only harsh in climate and resource-poor but also surrounded by British and French colonies, making them far less valuable economically and strategically compared to places like Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco. Germany’s only Pacific colony was in the northern part of Papua New Guinea in Oceania, 5,000 kilometers away from the Far East, far from satisfying William II’s ambitions.

Currently, in the Far East, Indonesia was a traditional Dutch colony, and Malaysia was the British Empire’s frontline base in the Far East. The French ruled Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia near the South China Sea, while the Philippines was under Spanish control. The owners of these places were either powerful old imperialist countries like Britain and France or long-established entities like the Dutch. To the north, it was the Qing Dynasty’s South China Sea border, but the Qing Dynasty was not as weak as in history; before Japan’s two Fuji-class battleships arrived from Britain, the Dragon Fleet was still the strongest naval force in the Western Pacific, making it unwise to provoke them.

Thus, the easiest target seemed to be the Spanish-controlled Philippines. Personally, Qing Ying also favored targeting the Philippines to teach the island monkeys a lesson. Just as he was about to suggest this to his adoptive father, William spoke first, "As for our target, we have preliminarily decided to choose one of the many ports of the Qing Empire!"

PS: This is the first chapter of the day. Due to the author’s evening commitments, the second chapter will be posted in the afternoon.

This is the last day of the recommendation. Please consider adding the book to your collection...

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